Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Week 8: Social Disease

Being overweight is frowned upon in society, which is unmistakable. However, it has become such a bias that it has almost developed into a social disease. I think at this point in time, in the United States, it is an even bigger issue than that of racism or religion. We have a person of color in office and daily I hear Mormon commercials on TV and the radio. However when it comes to being overweight you are viewed as disgusting, lazy, unintelligent and so on.

Alright, I understand being overweight is a health hazard! I think by now everyone is aware of that. I am not talking about the media’s pieces on good health habits. I support that! Society needs to understand all of the potential risks when being overweight and how to become healthier. I am talking about the society and the media that abuse people that are overweight. That are emotionally, verbally and even physically abusive to people that are struggling. Every day you can find television shows and radio programs that insult people about their appearance. I’ve heard, "she could be ugly or even worse…FAT," and a million more insulting phrases that can really hurt someone. I have even heard people that I care about or that care about me insulting people that are overweight right in front of my face!

Do they really not understand that overweight people have the same emotions as them? Beautiful and hardworking are two adjectives you don’t hear when referring to someone who is considered "fat." This is a shame! I know for a fact that people have been interested in me and turned me down because of what others would think. At times I even have concerns about certain friends and family members and their feelings when out with me in public.

Majority of people that are obese are not proud of themselves. Most likely they have an addiction to over eating or emotional problems (scars) that they carry with them. Then being overweight creates a low self-esteem. At times it is a never ending cycle. Your overweight ---> You feel poorly about yourself ---> You eat to stuff the pain ---> Then it starts all over again. I don’t think that anyone that is overweight is looking for sympathy. They just want to be understood and have people look at them for their personality and not their image. This goes for anyone that is overweight. Even if you are not obese, you can still have these same feeling about the five or ten pounds you feel you need to lose.

Everyone is human. Whether you are a size 5 or a size 20, you were made by God for a purpose. The person you are and the sprit you have inside of you was the reason you were created. You exterior is a temporary home until heaven. Of course we all want to feel good and live the one life we have to the fullest, but we want to be able to do that with love and encouragement.

This week I had an awesome weight loss! I am down 5lbs and have lost a total of 19.8lbs in eight weeks. I don’t expect that every week I will do well or even lose, but I do hope that I continue to keep my head up and not others discourage me. My goal this week is to Exercise, Exercise, Exercise!